HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 63 
are answered with mournful voices by the prisoners within. 
What a real tragedy for these poor baboons! The conversa- 
tion finally degenerates into an ear-splitting chorus. On one 
occasion a baboon, bolder than the rest, jumped the thorn 
barrier of the seriba and dashed up to one of the cages, in 
which, maybe, he saw his brother, or father, or uncle sitting. 
But he was speedily driven away by the attendants, amidst 
the most appalling yells from the herd watching outside. 
Sometimes baboon-catching is a much more sanguinary 
business than this, especially in the case of the large silver-grey 
“Tartarin” or “ Arabian baboon” (Cynocephalus hamadryas). 
This is a very pugnacious species, and, moving as it always 
does in large herds, very dangerous to encounter. One of 
my younger travellers tells a story of a baboon-fight in 
Abyssinia, in which nearly three thousand baboons took part. 
They are certainly very savage animals to look at. When 
fighting they erect their manes and show their teeth and 
strike the ground furiously with their hands, as they advance 
to within a few feet of their enemy. 
The capture of these ‘Arabian baboons” differs very 
little from that already described. A trap is put out at the 
drinking-pool in the same way as before; but, instead of 
having one trap-door, it has two, one on each side. The use 
of this second door is as follows: On arriving at the trap 
one baboon chief stands at the door to guard it, while only a 
few are admitted within. But those that are excluded slink 
round to the back; and, finding another entrance there, the 
cage soon fills. Then, as before, the cord is pulled, the trap 
closes, and a terrified cry breaks from a thousand throats. It 
was on such an occasion as this that the fight, already 
alluded to, and in which 3,000 baboons joined, took place. 
The whole army hurled themselves savagely upon the 
hunters, who defended themselves as best they could with 
firearms and cudgels. They were driven back, however, by 
sheer force of numbers; and the victorious baboons made 
short work of the cage and released their imprisoned friends. 
